Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a heat controller has been proposed which cools a motor generator, an inverter, a battery, and a vehicle compartment of an electric vehicle.
The heat controller in the related art includes a cooling circuit that allows for circulation of a coolant for cooling the motor generator and the inverter, a first circulation circuit that allows for circulation of a coolant for cooling the battery and the vehicle compartment, and a second circulation circuit that allows for circulation of a coolant passing through an exterior heat exchanger and exchanging heat with outside air.
Further, the heat controller includes a first valve that connects and disconnects between the cooling circuit and the first circulation circuit, a second valve that connects the cooling circuit to either the first circulation circuit or the second circulation circuit, and a third valve that connects and disconnects between the cooling circuit and the second circulation circuit. The respective valves are controlled to switch the subject of connection of the cooling circuit between the first circulation circuit and the second circulation circuit.
Heat can be transferred by a heat transfer device between the coolant circulating through the first circulation circuit and the coolant circulating through the second circulation circuit. The heat transfer device transfers the heat from the coolant having a low temperature to the coolant having a high temperature, between the coolants in the first and second circulation circuits.
The heat of the coolant in the first circulation circuit is transferred to the coolant in the second circulation circuit by the heat transfer device, and the heat of the coolant in the second circulation circuit is dissipated into the outside air by the exterior heat exchanger, which can cool the battery and the vehicle compartment.
The cooling circuit is connected to the first circulation circuit or the second circulation circuit by use of the first to third valves, so that the heat of the coolant in the cooling circuit can be dissipated into the outside air by the exterior heat exchanger in the second circulation circuit, thereby cooling the motor generator and the inverter.